Foot measuring device



Feb. 25, 1958 v, 5.}BOTTENFIELD VVFOOT MEASURING DEVICE Filed 055. 31. 1953 1 United States Patent FOOT MEASURING DEVICE Vernon S. Bottcnfield, Evanston, Ill., assignor to The Scholl Mfg. Co., Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of New York Application December 31, 1953, Serial No. 401,575 5 Claims. (Cl. 33-3) This invention relates to improvements in a foot measuring device, and more particularly to a foot measuring device highly desirable for use in measuring the size of childrens feet, the device presenting particularly fascinating characteristics to a child having its foot measured, although the invention may be used to measure adult feet if so desired, and may have other uses and purposes as will be apparent to one skilled in the art.

In the past, particularly in retail shoe stores and the like, difliculty has frequently been experienced in determ-ing the correct size of a childs foot by utilizing the well known form of measuring stick. The difficulty was mainly in getting the child to hold its foot stationary upon the measuring stick for a sufficient length of time to secure the desired measurement or measurements. This was because of the childs fear of having strange apparatus applied to its body. The childs fear was particularly pronounced, if the child had experienced-hypodermic injections and other treatments involving the use of apparatus at the hands of the childs physician.

With the foregoing thoughts in mind, it is an important object of the instant invention to provide a foot measuring device so constructed as to be particularly attractive and pleasing to a child to such an extent that the child will not at all fear or resent its usage upon the foot.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a foot measuring device which is not only made attractive and fascinating to a child, but wherein the very means that make it attractive and fascinating to the child also perform another function of steadying the movable toe contacting block and eliminating a good portion of the danger of the block being accidentally dislodged from true position during manipulation of the device.

Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a foot measuring device, highly desirable for measuring the feet of children, which device embodies the usual stick, and movable toe contacting block, with a doll-like figure so associated with the structure as to alter the position of its body during manipulation of the measuring device, all in a manner fascinating to children.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a foot measuring device including a stick and a movable toe contacting block, with a puppet simulating a human or an animal and having a flexible body, the puppet being connected to the stick and block in 'such manner as to apparently reach out and touch the childs toe while a measurement is being taken. A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a foot measuring stick equipped with a puppetlike figure so connected to the movable toe contacting block as to assume various positions between the prone and substantially vertical depending upon the degree of movement of the block.

While some of the more salient features, characteristics and advantages of the instant invention have been above pointed out, others will become apparent from the following disclosures, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a foot measuring device embodying principles of the instant invention; and

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the structure of Fig. 1, indicating the operation of the device in dotted lines.

As shown on the drawings:

In the illustrated embodiment of this invention there is shown a foot measuring device comprising the usual stick 1 carrying suitable size indicating indicia thereon, such as a length indicating scale 2 and a width indicating scale 3. At one end of the stick is a fixed heel contacting element 4 which, in the illustrated instance, is in the form of an upstanding block firmly aflixed to the stick in any suitable manner.

As seen best in Fig. 2, the stick may be provided with a longitudinally extending groove 5 in each side edge thereof. A slidable toe contacting block 6 is mounted on the stick by means of opposed side plates 77 secured thereto, each side plate having an inturned lower margin riding in the respective groove 5. The side plates are preferably inherently spring-like in character, to exert sufiicient tension against the side edges of the stick to lessen the likelihood of accidental sliding movement of the block relatively to the stick.

Near the opposite end of the stick from the heel contacting element 4 a fixed support 8 is provided which may be in the form of a bent wire, having end portions extending into suitable apertures in the stick inside the respective slot 5, as indicated at 9, in Fig. 2. The wire is so bent as to provide an upstanding portion in the form of an inverted U, including a lateral cross bar. Of course, the support 8 limits the movement of the sliding block 6 toward the respective end of the stick.

In the illustrated instance, the measuring device is equipped with a puppet or doll like figure 10 and, by way of example, a simulated monkey is illustrated. The body of the figure 10 is flexible, and in the illustrated instance the body is provided with arms and legs pivotally connected to the trunk. The feet 11 of the puppet are pivotally connected to the elevated cross bar of the support 8 by a suitable stirrup or stirrups indicated at 12 in Fig. 2. The ends of the arms or hands 13-13 of the figure are pivotally attached to opposite sides of the movable block 6 by suitable pivot pins 14-14, or in an equivalent manner. When the movable block 6 is slid back and forth along the stick, the puppet assumes various positions between the original substantially upright or squatting position shown in full lines, and a substantially prone position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The amount of inclination of the body of the puppet is of course dependent upon the degree of movement of the sliding block 6. In operation, the instant invention is extremely simple and extremely attractive to children as well as insuring an accurate measurement of the childs foot to even a better extent than measuring devices of similar operation heretofore known.

Any child, and particularly a frightened child, may have its doubts or fears effectively soothed by a salesman suggesting that the child hold its foot real still and watch the monkey or other puppet figure tickle the childs toes. Such procedure is especially effective, if the salesman, contemporaneously, might promise the child a facsimile of the particular puppet on the stick as a present upon leaving the store.

It should be noted, however, that the puppet or dolllike figure performs anotherdefinite function, and this function is of a mechanical nature. The puppet may be built so as to provide substantially any desired degree of resistance to a change in body position, and by virtue of this added resistance, the probability of the slidable block 6 being inadvertently moved out of proper position after a size has been taken, is brought to a minimum. That also is particularly desirable in measuring a childs foot, owing to the fact that the child is more prone, to wiggle its toes or otherwise move its foot than is an adult during the taking of a measurement.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that I have provided a novel foot measuring device, highly attractive to children, which performs a more effective measurement than devices operating in similar fashion heretofore known. and which is extremely durable and economical to manufacture.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected Without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for measuring childrens feet, comprising a stick carrying a size indicia thereon, a fixed heel contacting means at one end of said stick, a fixed bar support adjacent the other end of said stick, a toe contacting block slidably mounted with said stick for rectilinear movement thereon, a body having a pair of swingable leg members pivoted and supported upon said bar support and a pair of swingable arm members pivoted to said toe contacting block and the body being between the said leg and arm members, whereby upon sliding movement of the toe contacting block in a direction toward said fixed heel contacting means the body will assume various positions between substantially erect and substantially horizontal depending upon the distance of movement of said toe contacting block.

2. A device for measuring ehildrens feet, comprising a stick carrying a size indicia thereon, a fixed heel contacting means rigidly secured at one end of said stick, an adjustable bar support fixedly mounted adjacent the other end of said stick, a toe contacting block slidably mounted with said stick for rectilinear movement thereon, a body having a pair of swingable leg members pivoted and supported upon said bar support and a pair of swingable arm members pivoted to the upper portion of said toe contacting block and the body being between the said leg and arm members, whereby upon sliding movement of the toe contacting block in a direction toward said fixed heel contacting means the body will assume various positions between substantially erect and substantially horizontal depending upon the distance of movement of said toe contacting block.

3. A device for measuring childrens feet, comprising a stick carrying a size indicia thereon, a fixed heel contacting means at one end of said stick, a fixed bar support adjacent the other end of said stick, a toe contacting block slidably mounted with said stick for rectilinear movement thereon, a body having a pair of swingable leg members pivoted and supported upon said bar support and a pair of swingable arm members having hands at the outer ends thereof which are pivoted to said toe contacting block and the body being arranged between said leg and arm members, whereby upon sliding movement of the toe contacting block in a direction toward said fixed heel contacting means the body will assume various positions between substantially erect and substantially horizontal depending upon the distance of movement of said toe contacting block, the free ends of the hands extending outwardly to contact the toes of a childs foot arranged between said heel contacting means and said toe contacting block and in contact with the latter during the taking of a measurement of said foot.

4. A device for measuring childrens feet, comprising a stick carrying a size indicia thereon, a fixed heel contacting means atone end of said stick, an adjustable fixedly secured lateral cross bar support mounted adjacent the other end of said stick, a toe contacting block slidably mounted upon the upper horizontal surface of said stick for rectilinear movement thereon, a doll-like body having a pair of swingable leg members with feet extremities which are supported upon said lateral cross bar support and a pair of swingable arm members with hand extremities which are pivoted to the upper portion of said toe contacting block and said body being pivotally arranged with and between the said leg and arm members, whereby upon sliding movement of the toe contacting block in a direction toward said fixed heel contacting means the body will assume various positions depending upon the location of the movable toe contacting block, the free ends of said hand extremities tending to extend horizontally outwardly to contact the toes of a childs foot arranged between said heel contacting means and said toe contacting block and in contact with the latter during the taking of a measurement of said foot.

5. A device for measuring childrens feet, comprisnig a stick carrying a size indicia upon the upper surface thereof, said stick having longitudinal grooves in the sides thereof, a fixed heel contacting means at one end of said stick, a fixed bar support adjacent the other end of said stick, a toe contacting block slidably mounted with said stick for rectilinear movement thereon, said block having metallic side plates arranged therewith and having inturned lower margin portions riding in said grooves, said plates preferably inherently spring-like in character to exert sufficient tension against the side edges of the stick to lessen the likelihood of accidental sliding movement of said block, a body having a pair of swingable leg members with feet extremities which are supported upon said fixed bar support and a pair of swingable arm members with hand extremities which are pivoted to the upper portion of said toe contacting block and said body being pivotally arranged with and between the said leg and arm members, said body and arm members exerting sufficient rigidity to the movable toe contacting block to lessen the likelihood of accidental sliding movement thereof, whereby upon sliding movement of the toe contacting block in a direction toward said fixed heel contacting means the body will assume various positions depending upon the location of the movable toe contacting block, the free ends of said hand extremities tending to extend horizontally outwardly to contact the toes of a childs foot arranged between said heel contacting means and said toe contacting block and in contact with the latter during the taking of a measurement of said foot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

